Taiwan head coach Louis Lancaster yesterday said that today’s 2022 FIFA World Cup Asia Zone Group B qualifier against Nepal is a must-win game and his team would go on the attack right from the off.
Taiwan’s players know that they must go all-out to seize a victory in the 7:10pm kickoff at the Taipei Municipal Stadium to keep pace with their group rivals after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Jordan on Thursday last week.
Kuwait and Jordan top Group B with three points each, while Taiwan and Nepal trail after losing their opening matches. Asia-Pacific powerhouses Australia start their qualification campaign away to Kuwait today.
After announcing his 25-man squad at a news conference in Taipei yesterday, Lancaster declared all players fit and ready for the match.
“We are prepared to take on Nepal. It is a must-win for us and we have to take all three points at home,” Lancaster said. “Our team will go on attack right from the starting whistle. I told them to express themselves fully in the game, without having any regrets. The players must step up their game and must be ruthless inside the opposition’s box.”
Taiwan must control the game and it is important to score an early goal to relieve the pressure on the home players in front of their fans, he said.
“We have to win and pick up the three points. The team must find our stride and play with patience. If we can fully work through the game plan from training and seize every opportunity, then we can deliver a victory for our home supporters,” Taiwan captain and midfield dynamo Chen Po-liang said.
Nepal are coming off the back of a seven-goal thrashing away to Kuwait last week, while Taiwan hosted Nepal in an international friendly in June in which the two sides battled to a 1-1 draw at the National Stadium in Kaohsiung.
Taiwan are No. 125 in the FIFA world rankings, ahead of Nepal at 166, and there is an expectation that the hosts should claim their first win in World Cup second-round qualification.
Nepal head coach Johan Kalin conceded that his team had put up a poor performance in the defeat to Kuwait and that he would make adjustments for today’s match.
He vowed that his defense would play better to avoid giving away early goals.
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
RSS